Char Chinar, also sometimes called Char Chinari, Ropa Lank, or Rupa Lank, is an island in

Dal Lake Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals. It is integral to tourism and recreation in t ...

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. Dal Lake includes 3 islands, 2 of which are marked with beautiful Chinar trees. The island located on the Lakut Dal (small Dal) is known as Roph Lank (Silver Island), is marked with the presence of majestic Chinar trees at the four corners, thus known as Char-Chinari (Four Chinars). The second Chinar Island, known as Sone Lank (Gold Island), is located on the Bod Dal (Big Dal) and overlooks the holy shrine of

Hazratbal Hazratbal is the notified area situated in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is about from Srinagar city center. The early settlements in the area occurred on the banks of Dal Lake and majority of population of area are Hangis (fish ...

History

Murad Baksh Muhammad Murad Bakhsh ( fa, ), (9 October 1624 – 14 December 1661) was a Mughal prince and the youngest surviving son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Empress Mumtaz Mahal. He was the Subedar of Balkh, till he was replaced by his elder ...

, brother of the

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

, constructed the Roph Lank. Char Chinar at Dal Lake 1

Chinar

Chinar trees characteristically grow in Eastern Himalayas. Their botanical name is ''

Platanus orientalis ''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...

.'' They have been an important part of Kashmiri tradition, in that, a Chinar tree is found in almost every village in Kashmir. These trees have survived for ages, because Chinar is basically a long-living tree. It spreads wide across a region of cool climate with sufficient water. The tree has several properties - leaves and bark are used as medicine, the wood, known as lace wood, has been used for delicate furniture and the twigs and roots are used for making dyes.

Decline and restoration

Chinar all over Jammu and Kashmir have been affected due to various reasons such as indiscriminate

tree felling In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

and floods. It is common to find locals and media houses reporting that the four chinar at Char Chinar no longer are as majestic as they once were. Three of the four trees have shown signs of drying up. Some locals blame construction on the island, whereas others blame recent floods and climate change. The floriculture department of Jammu and Kashmir is making efforts to restore the island to its former glory and have also planted more Chinar trees on the island.

Gallery

File:Char Chinar.jpg File:A view of Dal Lake with Chinar islands.jpg File:Char Chinar - panoramio.jpg File:Char Chinar at Dal Lake 2.jpg File:India - Srinagar - 019 - Char Chinar Island on Dal Lake.jpg

References

External links

Photo of Char Chinar (Rupa Lank)Photo of Char Chinar (YongKianOn)Kashmir Beauty-Chinar
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128225749/http://umarzaz.com/kashmir-beauty/ , date=28 January 2019 Islands of Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar Lake islands of India
Char Chinar Dal lake, Srinagar Kashmir